Knuckle-pin-retaining device.



J. .KELSO. KNUCKLE PIN RETAINING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED APR.14, 1911.

999,036, Patented July 25,1911.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH KELSO, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO MGCONWAY & TORLEY COMPANY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

KNUCKLE-PIN-RETAINING DEVICE.

I '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH KELso, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knuckle-Pin Retaining Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to the construction of car couplers of the vertical plane type in which a knuckle is rotatably mounted on the coupler head by means of a pivot pin or knuckle pin, and the object of the invention is to provide readily detachable means for maintaining the knuckle pin in operative position even though it may be broken while in service. To effect this object the under side of the coupler head adjacent to the knuckle pin opening therein is provided wit-h a plurality of perforated lugs which support a knuckle pin retaining member that extends under the lower end of the knuckle pin, one end of the retaining member being received by the aperture in one of the lugs and the other end of the retaining member being perforated to receive a headed key or cotter that is received by and maintained in the perforation in the other lug of the coupler head.

In the drawings chosen for the purpose of illustrating my invention, the scope whereof is pointed out in the claim, Figure l is a side elevation of a portion of a car coupler showing a knuckle pin retaining device constructed in accordance with my invention; and Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view of the devices shown in Fig. 1, the knuckle of the coupler being omitted.

Like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur.

I will now proceed to describe my invention more fully, so that others skilled in the art to which it appertains may apply the same.

In the drawings, 1 is the coupler head, 2 the knuckle and 3 the knuckle pin by which the knuckle is pivotally mounted on the Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 25, 1911. Application filed April 14, 1911.

Serial No. 621,068.

head. Except as hereinafter described these parts may be of any suitable or well known construction.

Formed on the coupler head 1 and pro jecting downwardly from the under face thereof on opposite sides of and adjacent to the usual knuckle pin hole 1 therein are a plurality of perforated supporting lugs a and 5, respectively, whose perforations preferably extend at right angles to each other. The perforation or aperture in the supporting lug at is adapted to receive one end of the knuckle pin retaining member 6, while the perforation in the supporting lug 5 receives the headed pin or cotter 7 by which the other end of the retaining member 6 is connected to the coupler head. As shown more particularly in Fig. 1, the end of the knuckle pin retaining member 6 which enters the aperture in the supporting lug 4 is preferably formed as a downwardly opening hook 6*, while the opposite end 6 of the retaining member is provided with a hole through which the cotter 7 extends.

In order to prevent the knuckle pin 3 from creeping or jarring upwardly when the coupler is in service, a cotter 8, which extends through a transversely extending aperture in the lower end of the knuckle pin, may be employed.

After the knuckle pin 3 is in place, the hooked end 6 of the retaining member 6 is passed through the corresponding aperture in the supporting lug 4:, the perforation in the other end, 6 of the retaining member is then brought into alinement with the corresponding perforation in the support-ing lug 5 and the headed pin or cotter 7 is passed through the alined openings in the retaining member and lug. The knuckle pin retaining member 6 is thus supported from the coupler head in a position below the lower end of the knuckle pin 3 so as to prevent the latter from dropping out of its pivot pin holes should it be broken while in service.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a knuckle pin retaining device for car couplers, the combination with the coupler head, knuckle and knuckle pin, said coupler retaining member and engaging the other of 10 head being provided on its under face with said perforated lugs.

a plurality of downwardly extending per- In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, fol'atecl lugs, of a knuckle pin retaining in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. member extending under the lower end of said knuckle pin and provided with a per- JOSEPH KELSO' foration and with a hooked end which en- WVitnesses:

gages one of said perforated lugs, and a pin J. HARTLEY,

extending through the perforation in said F. D. EOKER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

